Diurnal Activity Patterns of Captive Sub-Adult Male Blackbuck in Winter and Spring Seasons

Abstract

The blackbuck, scientifically known as Antilope cervicapra, is a type of antelope that inhabits Pakistan, Nepal, India, and the United Arab Emirates. The population of blackbucks has been impacted by habitat destruction, hunting, and diseases, but some protected areas have seen an increase in their population. Blackbucks are herbivorous species that displays grazing and browsing behaviors and prefers semi-arid grasslands as their habitat of choice. The study aimed to observe the diurnal activities of a sub adult male blackbuck during the winter as well as spring seasons. The observation was done twice a week (Saturday and Sunday) for ten hours (600 minutes) a week. The animal's activities were recorded after every five minutes, and an ethogram was used to record the activities. The study observed standing, sitting, walking, running, feeding, drinking, scratching, licking, aggression, sexual display, defecation, urination, sniffing, and Flehmen response. The lowest activity observed in both spring and winter season is Flehmen response. The result showed that the activity which was maximum in winter season is feeding (29.09±8.78) and in spring season, it was walking (27.99±4.83). The study found no noteworthy difference between the winter and spring seasons concerning the behavior of the animal, but the maximum duration of standing and running behavior was higher during the winter season than in the spring season. The study highlighted the importance of studying animal behavior in zoos for the welfare of captive animals and developing effective preservation.